The rivalry between Fresno and Bakersfield dates back to as far as most can remember. On Valley Edition we discuss how the two communities can work together in the future with a more regional approach

Credit Joe Moore / Valley Public Radio

Listen

Listening...

/

59:50

This week on Valley Edition we take the listener to one of the many strawberry stands that dot the San Joaquin Valley’s rural roads. But how often do these vine-ripened strawberries reach school menus? FM 89’s Rebecca Plevin explores the first partnership ever to exist between Fresno Unified School District and a Reedley farmer to bring local berries to cafeterias.

Just a few days before opening day at Chuckchansi Park in Fresno, high school students from a local charter school are rushing to build and plant what they call a community garden. In an effort to maintain their mantra “Farm Grown” the Fresno Grizzlies have partnered with ACEL Charter School to build a garden behind the scoreboard at the stadium. The group hopes to raise awareness of farm to fork in the region.

Also on this week’s program we turn to Fresno State communication professor Diane Blair for a discussion surrounding the proper role of the first lady in contemporary society. The conversation stems from the criticism that erupted from Hollywood and the beltway after First Lady Michelle Obama took the stage at this year’s Academy Awards. Blair says that when it comes to public praise or criticism, it often tells us more about society as a whole than about the first lady herself.

Ending the first half of the show we turn a one on one between Valley Public Radio Reporter Rebecca Plevin and Yosemite National Park’s Kathleen Morris to learn more about changes that might be in store for park visitors. Features like Half Dome and Yosemite Falls are some of the most iconic images of the Golden State. But with those crowds come problems, and the age old debate of how best to balance nature with public access. A new project from the National Parks Service aims to chart a course for the management of the park, and the river which runs through it.

The second half of Valley Edition explores the age old rivalry between two Valley cities — Bakersfield and Fresno. Residents from either city at one point in time have turned their nose up to the other. In fact most Fresnans and Bakersfielders are familiar with the term, “At least we’re not Bakersfield” or “At least we’re not Fresno.”

Valley Edition Host Juanita Stevenson explores the rivalry with local experts from both communities. Together they try to get down to the route of the rivalry and come up with ideas about how the two communities can come together.

Related Content

In an effort to increase education about agriculture and sustainability, the Fresno Grizzlies have partnered with a local charter high school to build a garden at Chuckchansi Park. FM89’s Ezra Romero visited the stadium; spoke with the teenagers planting the garden and has this report. ---------- For the past week and a half a group of seniors from ACEL Charter High School in Fresno have been huffing and puffing at Chuckchansi Park. But they aren’t running bases or hitting pop flies – they’re...

Pao Saephan crouches down in his sun-drenched field. He cups a red jewel in his hand. In a few more days, his strawberries will be fully ripe. He’ll pick them once they are garnet-colored from stem to tip. “We want all the strawberries, to be full ripe, full flavor, with 100 percent sugar in them,” says Saephan. In the past, he would sell the fresh berries at his roadside stand - called Sam’s Strawberry Patch. It’s located at the intersection of Manning Avenue and I Street in Reedley. But...

Spring has come early to the Yosemite Valley, and the melting snow makes for a spectacular rush of water off the granite face of Yosemite Falls, the tallest in North America. Early March is when park officials would normally be gearing up for the busy tourist season. Instead, they're figuring out how to cut $1.5 million from their budget. Without a budget deal, the sequestration has forced the Park Service to cut a total of $134 million from sites around the country. "Do we close a visitor...